UK regulator says Pfizer results 'very encouraging'; wants to assess full data

FILE PHOTO: Syringes are seen in front of displayed Biontech and Pfizer logos in this illustration taken November 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Britain's medicines regulator said on Wednesday that final late-stage trial results from Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate were very encouraging, adding it would need to see the full data before making an assessment of the shot.

Pfizer Inc will seek emergency U.S. approval for its COVID-19 vaccine within days after final trial results showed its shot had a 95% success rate and no serious side effects, the drugmaker said on Wednesday.

"The results reported by Pfizer today are very encouraging and add to their announcement from last week," June Raine, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said in a statement, which did not give a precise timeframe for UK regulatory approval.

FILE PHOTO: People walk past the Pfizer headquarters building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 9, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

"We look forward to receiving the full results of the trials as soon as possible, after which we will rigorously assess the evidence of safety and effectiveness of the vaccine."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Stephen Addison)